Strain and sex differences in fear conditioning: 22 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and freezing in rats
Psychol. neurosci. (Impr.)
;
2(2): 219-225, Dec. 2009. graf
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-574101
ABSTRACT
Strain and sex differences in fear conditioning were investigated in two commonly used laboratory rats Sprague Dawleys and Long-Evans. Twenty-two kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV) distress calls and freezing behavior were used to measure fear responses to contextual and auditory conditioned stimuli (CSs), which were previously paired with a footshock unconditioned stimulus (US). Both strain and sex had significant effects on USVs and freezing during training and subsequent context and tone tests. Overall, the male Sprague Dawley rats froze and emitted USVs more than the other groups. Additionally, levels of freezing and USVs were differentially influenced by the type of CS (context or tone). These results suggest that species-specific defense responses in laboratory rats are highly influenced by the strain and sex of the subject, and that these factors should be considered in future fear conditioning studies.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Conditioning, Classical
/
Fear
/
Learning
/
Memory
Limits:
Animals
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychol. neurosci. (Impr.)
Journal subject:
Neurology
/
Psychology
Year:
2009
Type:
Article
/
Project document
Affiliation country:
United States
Institution/Affiliation country:
University of Washington/US
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